Column: Documentary screened in Jackson did a disservice to U.S. soldiers

Recently, I attended the JXN Community Forum and a screening of the documentary “Where Soldiers Come From.” A neutral observer would be led to believe only poor immature boys join the Army, or the Michigan National Guard as in this case. That they are put into ill disciplined units, doing useless jobs in “foreign wars” and are picking on oppressed farmers to enrich corporations.

I cannot speak to where Michigan National Guard soldiers come from, but I know intimately where active duty combat infantrymen come from, as well as what they do overseas. This “apolitical documentary,” as well as those hosting it, did a great disservice to those of us that have worn the uniform and engaged in close combat with the enemies of the U.S.

I know its hard for some people to believe, but there are some men who have a drive to purpose, a love of country and a dedication to duty that are more important to them than life itself. In fact, their self-sacrifice is what made this country possible.

I enlisted in the Army at 22, volunteered for the infantry and did so after getting a degree from Albion College. I came from a middle-class family and had plenty of opportunities for personal gain but chose to serve me country. I am about to leave a good job and a newborn son to go on my third deployment overseas because Americans have a duty to serve.

We are all free to debate the merits of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet, for the last 11 years the U.S. Army and Marine Corps have fought these savage wars with tremendous honor and self-imposed restraint unmatched in history. That is not hyperbole; it is fact. While doing so, they have removed a dictator, marginalized al-Qaida and given the people of two nations a chance at democracy.

As a citizen and soldier, I am disgusted by the non-commissioned officers in the unit because they failed their soldiers and dishonored Michigan and the U.S. Army by their lack of supervision of their soldiers. This film is typical of a society that praises self-attention over community and claims we are all victims of someone or something.

The JXN Community Forum is wrong to say this is an “apolitical documentary." It is a propaganda piece. The Greeks said courage is the virtue that makes all others possible. The tone of this film presents soldiers as people to be shown pitied and undercuts the resolve of our nation’s warriors.

Soldiers are not to be victims; we do not need to be consoled. Soldiers intentionally sacrifice for us. Soldiers are warriors and guardians. That is a topic for a community forum.